


The Golden Bear and The Mute Little Girl

by The_Creator_Of_Weird_Stories



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, Gabriel is Cassidy’s brother, Other, Platonic Relationships, With a mix of The Little Mermaid, don’t ask why I thought it would be neat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:00:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29714769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Creator_Of_Weird_Stories/pseuds/The_Creator_Of_Weird_Stories
Summary: “...I’d like to see this girl for myself.”“The girl freaked out. She scampered to put on her cloak, and lied on the bed, pretending to sleep. She heard the door open, and kept her eyes shut.”
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	The Golden Bear and The Mute Little Girl

**Author's Note:**

> I am finally done with writing this story! It’s been what, a week since I started writing this? 
> 
> So, basically, since Feb 17, I’ve been writing this fanfic. Due to this, I’ve decided not to break this in chapters, but to write it in full.

The sun was shining above the warm beach as the birds flew through the sky, some landing on the nearby rocks. But they weren’t the only ones there.

There was a girl lying on the sand, covered in a long cloak. She slowly woke up as the birds landed around her, poking at her skin. She sat up and shooed them away. 

As she looked at her surroundings, she tried moving her tail. But it wasn’t there. She pulled part of the cloak away. 

Legs. 

She had legs.

She gasped softly as she moved one of them up and down. She was actually human! The man was right! 

She tried standing up, but she couldn’t steady herself just yet. She tried once again, stumbling over towards some of the rocks. 

Now that she was standing, she saw something above the cliffs. It looked like the roof of a house, or even a mansion. She couldn’t tell, since it was so high up, but if she got closer, she would be able to see.

She walked across the beach, sometimes tripping over her legs, all the way to the strange building as the sun started to rise. 

But as she got closer, the sky got darker and cloudier, and it got colder and colder. There weren’t any animals here, either. Where was she?

She reached the mansion and knocked on the large door. 

She tried calling out for someone, but nothing came out. Only silence.

Oh, that’s right. The deal.

She pushed the door open as it started creaking. If anyone found her, she couldn’t say “I’m looking for somewhere to stay” or “I saw your house and wanted to stay for a while”, because she didn’t have a voice anymore.

She walked down the halls, chairs littering the floors and the carpets were scratched up. What happened here?

She avoided the broken glass that was scattered around, and went up the stairs. The upper floor wasn’t covered in junk. It was clean and shiny. 

She walked through the halls in curiosity. Why was this floor clean, while the first one was littered with chairs and glass? She didn’t have the courage to find out.

She bumped into something and nearly fell to the floor. She balanced herself as she looked up at the figure.

It looked at her with surprise. Although the shadow looked like a huge fox, it’s eyes were almost human. They widened as it took a step forward.

In a panic, she ran away from the figure as it called after her. “Wait! Don’t go!” She didn’t stop, running up another flight of stairs. 

She almost tripped over the last step, so she stopped to take a breath. What was that thing? What did it want? Why were its eyes human? 

She slid to the floor in defeat, not knowing what to do. She sat there, with her knees to her chin, ready to start crying. She was scared. 

She started nodding off, eventually falling asleep.

***

She woke up, but not in the hall. She was instead lying on a nice, soft bed. She sat up, confused. How did they find her, and why did they put her in a bedroom? 

She saw a note nearby, sitting on a bedside table. She took it and tried reading it.

_ I saw you in the hall. You looked so cold, so I brought you to a guest room. I hope you don’t mind. _

_ There’s also clothes in the wardrobe. They look like they will fit you just right. Also… _

_ Fritz told me that when you saw him, you ran away. _

_ Please don’t be scared of us. We don’t mean any harm.  _

_ —Jeremy _

What does this mean? She looked up at the door. Who would help her if they were like that fox?

She opened the wardrobe and saw a pretty dress. She took off her cloak and put her new clothes on. She spotted a nearby mirror and looked at her reflection.

She pulled at the sides of her dress, and started twirling in it. She smiled. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. 

“You brought a human here?” She heard a voice say.

“No. I found her in the south wing, but no one brought her here.”

She pressed her ear against the door and listened. 

“She didn’t scream when she saw me.” Another voice said. “She only looked scared.” 

“She must’ve been tired.” A fourth voice said “After all, Jeremy found her sleeping.”

“Cassidy, do you think she could help break the curse?” 

“...I’d like to see this girl for myself.”

The girl freaked out. She scampered to put on her cloak, and lied on the bed, pretending to sleep. She heard the door open, and kept her eyes shut. 

Silence enveloped the room, as she started shivering. 

She was picked up by the mysterious voice. She opened one of her eyes.

The figure had golden yellow fur, claws shining as it moved the blanket away from the pillows. She closed her eyes once again as she was placed back onto the bed, the blanket draped over her body. 

“What are you doing?”

“It would be rude to leave her in the cold…” she answered. “Let’s go, before she wakes up.” The fourth voice said “We have to tell Charlie about this!” She left the room and closed the door. 

The girl sat up, worried about what to do next. She was trapped with monsters, with no exit to be found, as the only one was blocked with chairs and glass, not to mention the ripped up carpets. She wasn’t sure what to do now.

Once again, she slid off the bed. She opened the door just a bit and peeked out. 

The bear was still out there, staring at the wall. What was it thinking about? Why wasn’t it with the others? 

It turned towards the door, which made the girl reel back into the room. 

“Come out.” She called. “There’s no need to hide.” She peeked her head out of the doorway, then walked out into the hallway.

“Why are you here?” She asked. Of course, she didn’t answer. The bear walked towards her, making her back up. She was starting to get scared. 

She tripped over, falling to the ground. She recoiled as the figure reached out for her. As it stepped into the light, she covered her face with her arms. 

She moved her arms away. She saw that the figure didn’t have eyes. They were hollow, and leaking a black fluid. Her fur was the same golden color she saw in the room.

She reached her paw out. Reluctantly, she took it, and it gently clenched around her hand. She was pulled up to her feet. 

“Why won’t you speak to me?” She asked. The girl was forced to reveal the truth the only way she knew how. She tried speaking, but nothing came out.

Her eyes—or lack thereof—widened slightly. “I...I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” 

She stared at her hand, and it sounded like she was holding in a sob. Was the black fluid her tears? 

She let go of it and pinched the rim between her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ll leave you be. You can return to your room now.” But before she turned around, the girl pulled at her cape. She looked at her with curiosity.

She mouthed “Ava” to her.

“Ava? Is that your name?” She nodded softly. She looked away from her, looking almost bitter.

“Go back to your room, please.” Ava nodded and went back, closing the door. She once again took off her cape, this time placing it in the wardrobe. She lied on the bed, but because she wasn’t tired, she stared at the door, sometimes starting to toss and turn. 

She fell into a dreamless sleep afterwards.

***

_ Knock. Knock. Knock. _

She heard someone at the door. She got out of bed and opened it. Strangely, no one was there. 

“Down here!” She looked down at her feet. 

There was a tiny clown-like doll staring up at her. It’s hair was a reddish orange, and it’s eyes were pure green. It wore a maroon red top and skirt, with red shoes decorated with two bells, one on each. 

In the middle of her stomach was an orange oval looking thing, with four grey points in the middle.

_ What a cute little doll, _ she thought.

“It’s time for breakfast! You must’ve been hungry, right?” Ava nodded. “Then follow me!” She pulled at her dress, attempting to drag her through the hall. She followed the doll, who was excited about something. Maybe she thinks her attempts are working. 

The main hall was perfectly clean now. There was no glass, and the chairs were placed near the walls. They walked down the stairs and towards the dining room.

“What do you mean you don’t have it, Cassidy?” A familiar voice asked. “I was going to give it to her later. I’m sure it would be very awkward due to...you know.” 

The door opened and the voices stopped. “She’s here! She’s here!” The doll said, letting go of the dress. The doll ran across the floor as Ava looked up. She attempted to hold in her discomfort. 

There were five animals, not including the lanky figure in the back of the room. One was a fox, one was a rabbit or a bunny, one was a chicken, and two were bears. Of course, the golden one was staring at the wall. The other four were looking at her in excitement. 

_ Just sit down,  _ she thought.  _ It’ll be over soon. _

She sat down as she tried avoiding eye contact. She felt the eyes move away from her, probably because she looked upset. 

“We did something wrong!” 

“No, you didn’t.” The golden bear said. Ava looked up slightly, noticing the four animals looking worried, while the golden one was unfazed. 

The bunny—or rabbit—looked at her, then looked away. He whispered something to the chicken, who in turn tapped on Golden's shoulder. She whispered something to her, too.

Ava averted her eyes. 

“We’re definitely doing something wrong.” The fox said. “Yeah, we are.” Golden looked straight at Ava, then back at the other animals. “This isn’t going to work. None of this is going to work.” 

“She hasn’t spoken a word since she came here.” The bunny said “Not even a hello.” Golden was unamused. “...I’m going to the library after this.” She said, clasping her hands together. “Let’s get this over with.”

The chicken clapped (how...how did she do that?) and at that moment, more tiny dolls pushed carts of food and placed them in front of the six. Ava’s attention was taken by the stack of round pastries in front of her. She’s never seen these before. 

Of course, no one knows that.

She looked up as the others started eating. Despite being animals, they were eating like humans, except for the golden one, who was just staring at the plate. She looked as if she’d forgotten how to eat. 

Ava watched the others eat as she held the fork. She followed their steps and ate a piece. 

It was warm and sweet, like the strawberries she found near her home. She smiled softly as she took another bite. 

There was a loud cough, so she looked up. The golden one looked away from the group at the table, but the food was gone. Did she eat it all in one gulp? Will she be okay? 

“I have to go.” She excused herself from the table and left. The others watched as she closed the door. 

As Ava finished the meal, she was about to pick up the plate when the dolls took them instead. “We’ll deal with this, don’t worry!” She nodded and left the room.

She wanted to know where the golden bear went. Her first thought was the library, but where was it located? 

She walked through the halls, searching for golden. Where did she go? She looked over towards a dark, shadowy hall. She walked towards it, when she felt a paw on her shoulder. It was the golden bear.

“What were you going to do?” She asked. Ava pointed to her throat. “Oh, that’s right.” She said. 

“Please don’t go there. That’s the West Wing.” Ava was confused. She tilted her head. “It’s just...there’s something you’re not supposed to see in there. But, if for  _ any _ reason you need to enter, don’t touch anything.” 

She nodded. “I’m going to find a way so we can communicate more clearly. I’ll tell the others about it, too.” She smiled, which made the golden bear look away. “You’re welcome.” 

Other than that, the day was pretty uneventful. She stayed in her room, watching the sky, or trying to write in an empty book she found. She had nothing to do without her voice.

_ Knock. Knock. Knock. _

She put down her book. It looks like someone is here. She stood up from her bed, and opened the door. 

There was a box placed on the floor. She picked it up, and opened it. There were blue shoes, with a note placed over them. 

_ You shouldn’t be walking barefoot. Take these. _

The note wasn’t signed, so she didn’t know who wrote it. She pulled out the shoes and put them on her feet. She stood up and ran in front of the mirror. 

What pretty shoes they were. They were sapphire blue, and they fit just perfectly on her. She clinked them together, and they made a sound. Were they made with real sapphires? She smiled. What a lovely gift.

She silently thanked whoever gave her the shoes. 

***

The next day, she explored the nearby wings, except the west one. She wanted to honor the golden bear’s word. 

She pushed the dining room door open, expecting the animals to be there, waiting. But they weren’t there. She sat down at the table. She must’ve been early. 

A few minutes later, the lanky figure appeared. 

It seemed humanoid enough, except that its arms and legs were stretched out and elongated, and painted with stripes. Its face was painted to almost look like a crying clown—if not for the smile and red-pink cheeks. 

It was also wearing a green coat, but it looked small and tight. 

“Hello, Ava.” It spoke “I’m Charlotte. It’s nice to see you.” Ava nodded. “The others should be here in a little while. The Plushbabies take their time with all of them.” 

Charlotte sat down as the carts of food pushed across the floor. The dolls weren’t pushing them. In fact, they were anywhere near them. 

“Watch this.” Charlotte lifted a finger towards one of the plates, which made it float towards Ava. She gasped; how did she do that? 

“Isn’t it cool?” She nodded with excitement. She mouthed “Do it again!”

Charlotte once again lifted her finger, this time towards a tea set. They floated near her plate and poured tea into the cup. Ava took it in her hands and smiled. 

“Oh, you’re already here!” She turned and saw the chicken. Her wings were placed together, as if they were her hands. “We never actually told you our names. I’m Chica!”

“I’m Bonnie!” The bunny said, followed by the fox. “I’m Foxy.” 

“And I’m Freddy!” The brown bear waved. “Hey, where’s Cass? Is she still sleeping?” Charlotte asked, which made the Plushbabies shrink behind Chica. “She’ll be here in a minute.”

Ava tilted her head in confusion. “Cassidy’s being stubborn, so visitors have to call her the golden bear, or even the beast. Just call her Golden.”

“Don’t tell her that we told you!” Chica said “She’ll be upset if you know!” Ava, assuming they didn’t know, tried speaking. Like always, nothing came out. Their eyes widened slightly.

“Right! Cass told us about that!” Bonnie said, putting his hand to his face. His ears lifted up “What if we taught you sign language? We could communicate easier that way!” The others nodded. 

“I can read her lips.” Charlotte pointed to her own. “But if it’s easier for you, I won’t stop you.” 

The golden bear, or Cassidy, entered the dining room. The room fell silent as she sat down at the very end of the table. The others took their seats, and the plates were placed in front of them. 

***

On the third day, Ava decided to look for Cassidy. She followed the scratched up carpet and splintered frames. She stepped on the glass as she spotted a nearby door. 

_ That must be her room,  _ she thought, stepping towards it. She pushed it open, and quietly gasped. 

It was decorated with flowers, but they were ravished and destroyed. The bed was unrecognizable, if not for the pillows and blankets. The carpets were destroyed in here, too, silk fabrics strewn against the floor.

There were bones everywhere, too. Some were from smaller animals, but they gradually got larger. She backed up from them, bumping into a pedestal. What was that? 

She turned to see one single flower placed upon it; a golden lily. She’d never seen a flower like this before. She stared in curiosity, but it was soon to be replaced with fear. 

She reached to take the glass dome off, when she heard a loud roar. She tripped and fell as she saw Cassidy stand above her, looking beyond angry. 

“You were going to touch it, weren’t you?” She shook her head no. “But, you were going to take the glass dome off. You shouldn’t even be here!” 

Before she could get another word in, Ava stood up and ran out of the room, starting to cry. Cassidy reaches out in a futile attempt to stop her, but she was already gone.

_ Why did she do that? How could she be so stupid?!  _

She ran down the stairs and out of the mansion. She ran so far that she realized that she was out of the forest. She looked to the sky; the sun had already set.

_ Oh no...no no no no no! _

She looked around, scared. Did he see her leave the forest? Did he know she would run to the mansion? Did time really pass, or is the forest another dimension?

She looked to the sea, and backed up into a tree. She didn’t want to go back there. She turned back into the forest, and ran back inside. 

She didn’t want to return to the mansion; she was scared that Cassidy would hurt her. But she didn’t want to go back to the sea; she feared that mysterious man’s deal.

She slid to the floor and sobbed, but no noise came out. 

***

“Stay away from her!” She jolted upwards. Cassidy was covered in scars and blood. 

She growled at the attacker, who she realized was the man she made the deal with. He was holding a knife, and in front of him were three wolves. How did he get those?

“Why are you back here, William?” She asked “What do you want with her?” The man, now known to her as William, grinned.

“The girl has made a deal with me, and time’s up.” He answered, chuckling. “I’m just here to collect my end of the bargain.”

**_“YOU WON’T GET YOUR HANDS ON HER!”_ ** She roared, which made Ava reel back and cover her ears. 

“Look at her, Evergreen,” he said “She’s shivering with fright. Your desperation isn’t cute, you know.” She turned to face her, and her ears lowered with sadness. “Besides, if she was here, that means you scared her, and she ran all the way out here. Which means she rightfully belongs to me.”

This made Cassidy growl, turning to face him. Ava thought she was about to scream, but instead her voice was almost quiet. 

“She doesn’t belong to you.” She said. “She belongs to  _ me.” _

Ava was starting to tear up. Cassidy scooped the little girl up, staring straight at William, who wasn’t really upset. “Are you sure you want to keep her?” He asked. “She has no voice, after all.”

“I know that.”

This made William’s eyes widen. “It’s been three days, do you think we wouldn’t find out?” She asked. “Whatever you’ve done to her, you’re going to pay. Just like you’ve done to us.”

“Ah, whatever.” He left, followed by the wolves. “I can’t wait to see my payment again.” 

“Yeah, right.” She whispered. Ava looked up at her with fear, but Cassidy smiled at her. “Don’t worry,” she started “It should keep him occupied for now.” 

She trudged back to the mansion, almost losing consciousness along the way. She fell to the floor when she stepped foot into the main hall. She groaned in pain as Ava ran to find the others. 

She knocked on all of the doors until she found Charlotte reading in a chair. “Is everything okay?” She asked, putting the book down. 

She grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the main hall. Cassidy lied there in a small pool of blood.

Ava slid down and started shaking her shoulder. Charlotte picked the bear up, and started pulling her towards another room. Ava followed with worry. 

Soon, the other animals were gathered around the chair, with Cass in the middle. She lied down, groaning. The black fluid were definitely tears, since they were uncontrollably running out of her eye sockets and down her face.

Ava didn’t enter the room, instead hiding behind the doorway. 

“Ava, please come over here.” She obeyed, walking in. 

She held her arm with regret. She caused this, she caused her to get hurt. Tears fell down her cheeks and fell on them.  _ Why did it come to this? Why couldn’t she just...listen? _

“Please take this,” Charlotte gave her a wet cloth. “Be careful, she gets fidgety when they’re placed on her arms.” 

Naturally, she assumed that she needed to wipe the blood off. So, she gently rubbed the cloth over the wound. Cassidy held her hand down. 

“This is how you do it.” She said, and Ava nodded. “...I’m sorry for scaring you. I just...I didn’t expect you to be there.”

“Did she go into the West Wing?” Chica asked. “Yes, but I’m sure she needed me for something, and just got distracted by…” she fell silent. 

“The flower. How many petals have fallen?” Bonnie asked “Only three, so far. Another one had fallen today.” The four looked worried. Did that have to do with the curse? 

“That should be enough.” Cassidy lifted her paw away from her hand. Charlotte wrapped the wound up. “Ava, could you leave the room for a moment?” She nodded. Once she left, she sighed in relief. 

“William came back.”

**_“What?!”_ **

She slid to the floor, listening in.

“Does he know about Ava being mute?” Bonnie asked “Yes. He and Ava made some kind of deal, and he tried to take her away.” She peeked around the corner.

“He wanted to take her away? Why?” 

“I’m not sure.” Cassidy sat back. “I’m worried that he took her voice. He did have magic, after all. He could’ve done that even if they didn’t make a deal.” 

“We have to help her! Who knows what he’ll do?” Freddy asked with fear. “But how are we going to do that?”

“As long as she stays within the castle’s radius, he won’t go after her. Or at least I hope…” 

***

Ava stayed in her room for the rest of the day. And the next day.

On the sixth day, she heard a knock at the door. She didn’t move from her bed. She just stared at it. It was almost like life was drained from her body.

Since she never locked the door, it opened. Cassidy entered the room, closing it with her foot. She was holding a tray of food. 

There was silence between the two as Cassidy placed the tray on the table. Cassidy sat down, and Ava put her head on her lap. 

“Wha…?” Ava didn’t move. Cassidy put her paw on her head.

“Do you...hate me?” She shook her head no. “I wish I could just...talk to you. It must be awful not being able to speak.” 

She nodded knowingly, then sat up. “Why did you make the deal?” 

Ava lifted one of her legs up and down, trying to communicate that those were what she wished for. Cassidy tilted her head “You wanted to walk?” She nodded. 

It was close enough. 

“If you’d like, I could bring you to the library.” She said. “I’m not sure if you don’t know where it’s located.” Ava nodded and stood up, brushing her dress. 

Cassidy stood up as well. “Follow me.”

A few minutes later, the two were in the middle of the library. Ava picked out a random book from one of the shelves and opened it. 

“Can you read?” Cassidy asked. Ava stared at the cover in slight confusion. She looked up at her and shook her head no. 

“Oh, I can help you.” She said, sitting down on the floor. “That book should be easy to read. Come on, take a seat.”

Ava did, and scooted next to her. Cassidy’s ears lifted up in surprise. She took one of its sides and pointed to the first word.

“There were three siblings: a fox, a bear, and a clown…”

That day forward, things felt different.

Ava would wake up early, and go to the dining room before everyone else. After that, she was always found in the library, reading books all by herself. Cassidy would sometimes join her, helping her with certain books.

One day, she heard a knock at her door. Once again, she opened it.

Freddy was standing there, and he seemed pretty happy about something.

“Hey, Ava.” He said “Could you follow me?” She stepped out of her room and nodded. “Come on! This way!” Freddy ran down the hall, and she followed him.

***

“Will she like it?” 

Cassidy was dressed in a long golden coat and dark blue pants. She wrung her hands as she waited for a response.

“Of course she will.” Charlotte said. She herself was in an emerald green dress that just barely reached her feet. “You look wonderful, Cassidy.”

She couldn’t help but smile “You do, too. All of you do.”

“Thank you, Cass!” Chica smiled back. “Ooo, I can’t wait!” 

There was a knock at the door. It was time. She held her breath as she opened the door. As she walked out, she saw Ava standing there.

She was wearing a silver dress with blue bows on her sleeves. Her blue shoes were gone, and instead, she was wearing gold slippers. Freddy stood behind her. 

Ava walked over, and curtsied. Cassidy bowed as well.

***

The two had begun to dance together in the mall hall. The others watched from afar, becoming giddy as they continued. 

After the dance, Ava hugged her. This made Cassidy blush in surprise. She gently hugged her back, as not to accidentally hurt her. 

A few minutes later, the six ere on one of the balconies, staring at the night sky. Surprisingly, Charlotte wasn’t there.

Suddenly, the Plushbabies and the other tiny dolls ran up to them. They looked positively worried as they jumped up and down.

“Is everything okay?” Chica asked.

“William! It’s William! He’s back!”

“Now?” Cassidy asked. “Yes! Yes!” They cried “Charlotte tried to stop him, but he has a mob! A mob we tell you!” 

Cassidy stood up, and so did the others. 

Their backs were turned from the railing, which William took advantage of. He crawled over it and snuck behind Ava.

But before he could grab her, she gripped Cassidy’s sleeve, and when he did eventually get a hold of her, she turned around, and so did the others.

He started dragging the poor girl away, but the animals lunged at him. The plushbabies linked their arms together and tripped up William, which made him let go of Ava. 

She, of course, ran away, followed by the others, all except for Cassidy. She stayed behind to fight William.

“Charlie!” They cried out. She was trying to hold the crowd back with the other dolls, throwing glass and metal at them in fear. They looked up at the animals, and noticed the small girl standing between them.

Except for one small little boy. 

Instead, he pushed through the crowd, and only stopped when he was in front of the lanky figure. She stopped as well, staring in surprise. A small, quiet voice came out of her.

“S...Sammy?” 

And as the crowd stared back at Charlotte,—or rather, Charlie—the boy replied.

“Charlie…” the two hugged each other, tears falling down Charlie’s face. The crowd stared back up at the animals, who were frantically scanning the area. 

“Are they here?” Bonnie whispered. “I’m not sure.” Freddy replied. 

A scream was heard, which made everyone look up. 

_ Cassidy. _

She was in danger!

Ava ran into the west wing one last time. If she was fast enough, she could reach the roof.

She pushed the doors open and slid towards the balcony. She climbed up the slippery slope and looked for her friend. Where did she go? 

“Stop squirming, you little brat!” She heard. “All these months, and you still haven’t changed.” She turned her head towards William’s voice.

He was about to stab Cassidy!

She ran towards him and grabbed his wrists in an attempt to stop him from plunging the knife into her heart. 

“You—! Why do you care about this beast?” He screamed as she was pushed aside. “Is it...is it because you love her?”

Ava stood up, but didn’t nod. She wouldn’t answer this horrid excuse for a human. She instead took a step forward. 

She could see Cassidy’s face twist in fear.  _ What are you doing?  _ It seemed to ask.  _ You’re going to get yourself killed! _

She shakingly got up, and stumbled forward. 

“So, you’re not gonna say, are you? Not even a nod?” She growled. Is he mocking her? She took another step.

Cassidy did the same. 

And then, suddenly, he turned around and—!

Cassidy let out a loud and gut-wrenching scream as the knife plunged in her side. Ava ran towards her, until William once again turned around and lunged at her!

She dodged the slash, and watched as William, the man who gave her legs, the monster who stabbed Cassidy, fall down to the depths below. 

Cassidy dropped onto her side, and Ava slid next to her. She let out a sob as she put her paw onto her face. “It’s...it’s over…” she spoke “He’s gone…he’s really gone.” 

She nodded, holding it. “I’m sorry he tried to hurt you...I was so weak.”

_ No! You’re not weak! _ She wanted to say. 

She gripped the paw as she felt it slide off. “I’m so...so glad I met you, Ava…” she smiled. “I love you.” As she said that, it fell to the cold floor.

She could feel something in her throat build up. She flung her body onto the dead bear, crying.

“Please...please don’t go!” She finally cried out. “Please, Cassidy! I don’t want you to go! I love you too!” She sobbed.

Her eyes were assaulted by a blinding gold. She covered her eyes and reeled back. She opened her eyes once again and saw a girl in the place of the golden bear. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. 

“What happened?” She asked in a familiar voice. She didn’t move. Not until she faced her. Her eyes widened as Ava flung herself into her body, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

“Ava?” She realized what was going on once she looked at her hands. “I’m...human.  _ I’m human again!”  _ She hugged Ava back, the black liquid that fell down her face turning into crystal clear tears.

“Thank you, Ava!” She cried out. “Thank you so much!” 

“You’re welcome.” She said, which made the girl—Cassidy—stop hugging her. She looked into her eyes and smiled “You can speak now…!” 

“And you’re human!” She smiled back. “Does that mean…?” 

Cassidy quickly stood up, followed by Ava. The two ran down the roof and out of the west wing. They spotted a girl with blonde hair, staring at her own hands. 

“Susie!” Cassidy ran towards her and hugged her tightly “Cassidy!” 

A boy with brown hair ran to her as well, and after she let go of Susie, he hugged her. “It’s over! The nightmare’s finally over!” 

The other kids, Jeremy, Fritz, and Elizabeth, also hugged her. The crowd below watched as they ran to Charlie, who was now human too. 

“You did it!” She called “We’re back to normal!” 

Ava hugged Cassidy as some of the adults in the crowd realized who they were staring at.

Their parents ran up and held them tightly, almost tearing up. The children returned the gesture, laughing and crying with joy.

Whatever curse was placed on the children was lifted, and Ava was now able to speak. 

The sun was brighter than any other day after that.

But nothing was brighter than the hope within Cassidy and Ava.

END.


End file.
